Emma Watson's 'pink dog' walk sparks criticism

Actress says the dog — which is pink to raise money for breast cancer research — isn't hers.

Emma Watson is firing back at critics after she was spotted walking a pink dog in London.

After photos of the pair were published online, the "Harry Potter" actress was instantly besieged by animal rights supporters to consider the dyeing of pets to be cruel.

"Dogs are not playthings; they are not dolls," said TV vet Emma Milne. "If you are putting a chemical on a dog’s fur, you could cause that dog problems. Even if the dye is completely safe — and the dye that Emma Watson has used should be absolutely fine — you are still altering the way the dog looks and smells to other animals. Potentially, it could have an effect on the way that dog interacts with other dogs. A dog is still a living object that hasn’t had any say on whether it wants to be pink."

As Watson clarified online, the dog isn't even hers — and was dyed pink to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.

"Just to clarify one more time that I don't have a dog. #factcheckingtakesfiveminutes," the actress tweeted.

"@PinkDarcyDog is pink because her owner is raising money for breast cancer. I wish Darcy was my dog but she isn't. Was just walking her," she added.

Darcy, who has a following of her own of more than 2,000 on Twitter, is owned by Stuart Simons of Groom Dog City in East London. He insists the dye job is perfectly safe and is using Darcy as a mascot to raise more than £10,000 for charity.

"All the dyes I use are completely animal-friendly," he told the Daily Mail. "They are made from vegetable dye. I wet the dog, rub it on like a shampoo, leave it for five minutes and then wash it off. Because Darcy is white, it takes really well. She is a very calm dog, absolutely lovely, and she enjoys her groom."